We are delighted to welcome Alteva, a WVT Communications Group, to the SIIA community. I had a chance to speak with their Executive VP and Chief Sales Officer, Louis Hayner to discuss the value of cloud-based unified communications. Read my interview below.
Rhianna: Welcome to SIIA! Tell me a little bit about Alteva.
Louis: Alteva, a WVT Communications Group company, is a cloud-based unified communications solution provider for companies with 35+ users. The highest priority at Alteva is providing every customer with all their communications needs including cloud-based Call Routing/Voice over IP Services (VoIP PBX), Messaging and Web-based Collaboration through Microsoft Communication Services, Fixed Mobile Convergence and Advanced Communications Applications for the desktop.
Rhianna: What are the advantages for companies to move their communication needs to the cloud?
Louis: There are many benefits for companies of all sizes to move to the cloud. The most advantageous include mobility/anywhere access; scalability; cost savings; and disaster recovery capabilities. Alteva’s hosted Unified Communications clients reduce their total cost of ownership by 20% with a 70% reduction in startup expenses and no ongoing maintenance fees, as compared to premise-based PBX systems.
Rhianna: You have partnerships with some of the leading technology companies. How important is the partner ecosystem? Do you have any advice for our members when it comes to building a successful partner program?
Louis: WVT Communications Group believes that a high tide raises all ships – something that Alteva has always held to. That’s why our philosophy has always been to seek co-marketing opportunities with not just partners, but even fellow cloud communications service providers. When any cloud communications company promotes hosted technology and educates the public about the benefits of the cloud, it serves the entire cloud industry. Alteva can tout its own solution as the best, but when its partners are touting Alteva it provides a much more credible and powerful third party validation. It’s important to have good relationships with your partners, and to have strategic discussions on ways to work together and help one another. If our partners names can help to validate our brand quality, then it is to their benefit to provide quotes for our press releases and put representatives in our trade show booths and attend our events.
Rhianna: Your customers cover a range of industries. Are certain industries more likely to adopt these cloud-based communication solutions? Are there any industries that have surprised you with their rate of adoption? Do you see any significant movement from the public sector?
Louis: Many industries can benefit from cloud communications, but there are some that can benefit even more so than others. For example, law firms benefit from the mobility features that enable user to communicate from any location, as well as hosted call recording and detailed phone reporting features. Law firms, health care facilities and other organizations that tend to have multiple locations or satellite offices will see notable cost savings. We are not surprised by any industries specifically, but we are thrilled by the increased adoption by the SMB space in recent years, as they see that solutions like Alteva Unified Communications are affordable for smaller companies.
Rhianna Collier is VP for the Software Division at SIIA.